


A Journey Through Justice

by Mitsuki_16



Category: Young Justice (Cartoon), Young Justice (Comics), Young Justice - All Media Types
Genre: Action & Romance, Action/Adventure, Decisions, F/M, Family Secrets, Humor, Secrets, Superheroes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-08
Updated: 2018-06-29
Packaged: 2019-05-19 13:08:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,980
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14874330
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mitsuki_16/pseuds/Mitsuki_16
Summary: Sofia L. Nakamura is the newest member to join the Team after her father and mentor, the Crimson Ninja, sends her overseas to America, where she will be staying at the Wayne Manor. As part of the Team she will embark on group missions, encounter new villains, create new life experiences, and discover secrets hidden by the Justice League.





	1. Change

 

It was a dark and rainy afternoon in Shibuya. My friends and I were walking together on our way to school. We began talking about our plans for the end of the school year. In a couple of days, final exams will flood our minds and desks, and the only kind of socializing that we'll be able to do is when we don't understand something during study group…Aside from the fact that we'll not be able to do that together, because Eiji and Atsushi (the twins) are a year older than us.

I look to my left, and that's when I see Kai, my best friend since primary school, catch up with us. We've always been in the same class together, except for our third year in middle school. According to him, it was his worst year. I smiled as I called out his name. I couldn't see his face clearly. I tried to focus my vision, but the closer he got, the less I could see…and that's when I began to notice how his face began to fade...

I paused for a moment; and so did Kai. I turn around to see my other friends: Tomomi, Eiji, and Atsushi. They were all lying on the floor. Their eyes were pale white and lifeless. In dismay, I close my eyes hopping to wake up from this nightmare…but failed to.

"Sophie…" someone whispered as I felt a hand grasp on my left shoulder…It was Kai.

He held my chin, and shifted my stare towards him. His eyes glow a bright sapphire, while a silhouette of auroras danced within his iris. His ears peaked, at least five inches, through his black hair. Between his lips, a serpentine-like tongue rolled out. He later shifted my stare towards my friends. They were still lying there, but this time, each was surrounded by a huge black puddle that dripped from in between their eyebrows. Now he shifted my vision back, towards him; greeting me with a horrid smile. His teeth now look like those of a wolf. I try to move, but can't. No matter how hard I try. I just can't.

He runs his hand down to my neck. I can feel his sharp nails against my skin, trying to pierce right through it. I try to move once more, but still no improvement. I look at his eyes once more…they're dripping some black-liquid substance. Now he performed a leg sweep, bringing us both down on the ground with him arched above me. As he pins me down to the ground, he begins to clean the black substance from his cheeks, and began to lick my face. I was scared. But I can't let him know that. He stops, and then he grabs my face and tilts my head to the side.

"I've never told you this, but…..you have such a beautiful neck." he said. His tongue traced down to my neck and began wrapping itself around it. As he began to tighten his tongue, strange marking began to show up on his neck and all the way down to his arms.

Consumed by fear, my first thought was to call out to my father, but I couldn't. He's choking me too hard. His tongue lets go of my neck, but now he rips my school blazer and shirt off. I try to shake him off, but I'm too weak compared to his superhuman strength.

He then lays his head on my chest. "Doki….Doki…." he said, as he stabs my chest with his nails. "What's wrong Sophie?...Sophie? Sofía Lee, are you okay?" he said as he began to fade away, and my father appeared.

_**March 26, 5:58 JST** _

_**Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan** _

_**Nakamura Residence** _

"Sofía, are you okay?" he said as he touched my forehead. "Sophie?"

I took a deep breath and tried to sit up on my bed, but my hands kept trembling a lot.

"Are you okay?" my father kept asking. "Almost a fever…" he said below his breath.

"Yeah, I guess…" I responded.

"You  _guess_ , huh?" he said worriedly. "Well, there's no time to go back to sleep, kiddo. It's time to get ready for school."

He then stood up from my bedside and proceeded to lay out my uniform across my king size bed. "Today's the last day of school, right?" he said as he left my room.

"Yeah, it is…" I said below my breath, as I got up and headed straight to my bathroom.

"Oh, I can't believe that I almost forgot!" I heard my father exclaim as he hurried back into my bedroom. "I'm expecting a very important guest from the states to arrive later this afternoon. So, please don't take too long on your way back from school. Would you like for me to arrange a chauffeur to pick you up?"

"No, it's okay. Once I say goodbye to my friends, I'll head straight home." I tell him.

"Promise?" he stretches his pinky out to me. "He, well, both of them will be glad to see you."

"Hai." I smile and wrap my pinky around his.

"Good to hear. Now, hurry up and get ready! And good luck on your finals today." He kissed the top of my head and messed up my bedhead even more. "See you this afternoon. Oh, and wear a mask to school just in case." He hurried off to work at his company.

_**March 26, 6:47 JST** _

_**Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan** _

_**Dr. Fujioka Saitou Private School** _

"We have arrived, Ms. Nakamura." my chauffeur said as he stops in front of the school's entrance gate. Once I get out of the car, I pull out my compact mirror and make sure that every strand of my bangs is swept sideways. I place two hairpins at the end of each side of my bangs to secure them well. I close my compact mirror and hide it in one of my school blazer's pockets. Then, using my middle finger, I adjust my fake glasses before stepping out of the car.

"Sophie!" I heard Tomomi's voice from afar as I closed the car's door. She ran towards me and hugged me really,  _really_  hard. "Ohayou, Sophie-chan!" she said almost tearful as she squeezes the life out me.

"O…hayou…Tomomi…chan" I replied almost out of breath.

"Woops! Sorry about that. Sometimes I forget that I've got a tight grip. Hehe!" she giggled, as she let go of me.

"Yeah, you always forget." I said sarcastically. "Where're the guys at?"

"Eiji and Kai went ahead to buy more breakfast at the dinning hall." She replied. "You know how they are."

"And where's - - " I was interrupted by Atsushi's hug assault.

"Sophie! I'm going to miss you  _so_  much!" he said. "Why can't you convince your dad to let you stay here for the next school year, and so on?"

"He's made his decision final. I can't do much about it now." I replied.

"That's what happens when you're the daughter of Akira Nakamura." I heard Kai say, as he arrived to where we were.

"True that." Eiji agreed with him.

"I don't want my best friend to live and study in America!" said Atsushi.

"Hey, it's not like I'm facing a death sentence!" I laughed.

"But it is to me…" Kai said seriously. "Here, I got you a chocolate crepe. You're going to need the extra brain food for today's final exams." He hands me the crepe.

"Thanks, Kai." I smiled at him as I took the crepe. "My father wants me to experience the American culture firsthand. I'll be staying at my mom's house; and it's not like I won't come to visit you guys." This time I smiled at all of them.

"Aww, isn't that comforting to hear?!" said Atsushi as he placed his hands on his heart. "Right, Kai?"

"It makes my heart feel warm…YOU KNOW I DON'T LIKE THAT TINGLY FEELING!" Kai replied.

"I knew it would." I chuckled. "But in all seriousness, I will come and visit you guys."

"Hey, guys! I think we should head to school now." Tomomi said worriedly.

"Hmm…C'mon you guys let's go." Kai said as he messed up my hair, and we began to walk to the building's entrance.

Here's the thing, my father's not sending me to America to study abroad and live with my mother. First of all, I don't have a mother, nor have I ever met her. My father told me that she died in labor 15 years ago, minutes after she had delivered me. I also don't even know anybody from her side of the family. Instead, I'll be living with my dad's friend, the one who's coming over today. Second, he doesn't want me to go there to experience the American culture. The truth is that I'm actually joining a special team made up of sidekicks. At least I'll get to see my old friends: Speedy, Kid Flash, Aqualad, and Robin, whom I've met various times, long ago. It's been years since I've last seen them. We've all shared good memories together, but I'm really going to miss my friends from here.

_**March 26, 16:37 JST** _

The time came to leave school. My friends have planned to spend the rest of the day going through the malls near the Shibuya crossing with me, since it's the last time we'll be hanging together. I know I've promised my dad to arrive home after school, but this is practically my last day with them. Once there, we went through a lot of stores, ate, and played lots of games. As Tomomi forced us to enter a jewelry store, Atsushi came up with the idea for each of us to buy identical necklaces. We all came to an agreement of buying a black necklace, with a metallic plaque that had the kanji for "Unity" engraved on it.

**_March 26, 19:35 JST_ **

Sadly, it was time to go to our homes. We've all said our long goodbyes. I'm going to miss their unique and crazy personalities. Tomomi was a wreck; she kept balling her eyes out until her chauffeur picked her up at the mall. Eiji and Atsushi both hugged me very tightly and told me to never change who I was, to video chat with them at least once a day. Eiji handed me a box on their behalves, but it had a condition. "Whenever you feel like you're in a deep whole, open it." He added.

"There's a guide inside that we made to help you out depending on the situation that you might be going through." Said Atsushi. "So, even if we're not with you, we can still make you smile."

"Wow…" I looked at the box, while holding back my tears. "Thank you so much to both of you. I'm very grateful for this!"

"You're always grateful, but when it should be me." Eiji chuckled. "You always used to put a smile before we broke up, and yet, you still managed to do so even after we broke up."

My face turned red

"Ahem…not to sound rude, but we should get going, Sophie." Kai interrupted a bit mad.

"Are you still jealous?" Eiji laughed.

"No, of course not!" Kai replied. "Anyways, see you guys later. If we don't get home soon, Sophie's father will get mad at her. Bye!" he said as he pulled on my arm.

"Bye!" I said to the twins as the four of us parted ways.

Kai always accompanies me home after school. He lives in another neighborhood up ahead from where I live. It's a long walk, but it doesn't seem like it since we always talk the whole way home. The reason why he accompanies me home, and I quote, is "just in case perverted men try to make a move on me or something". Little does he know about  _who_  I am really am. But he's always been over protective since we've met in primary school, and sometimes in the jealous side. It's both cute and funny.

_**Nakamura Residence** _

_**March 26, 20:02 JST** _

Finally, we arrived at the entrance of my house. Out of all of the goodbyes I had to give today, this one is going to the hardest. My childhood best friend: Kai, the one with whom I've shared my secrets with. He's been my support during tough times, even when he didn't get the situation. Out of all my friends, he's going to be the one that'll miss the most.

"We're here." Kai said in a low tone before silence comes in between us.

"So, I guess this is goodbye…" I tell him.

"I guess so." He then looks at me as he wipes the tears from his face. "Be good, okay? Help your mother out, and take good care of yourself. You're very good at everything you do, so I doubt that you'll have a problem in whatever school you'll attend. If you ever feel sad or even very happy, just give me a call or write to me. I'll answer it no matter what hour it is, just like I always do. But overall, never change who you are, okay?"

I look at him and chuckle a bit as I try to hold back my tears, "Of course I'll never change, as long as you don't change either." I smiled at him. "I'll also be there for you even if I'm miles away." I leaned forward and hugged him.

"I guess…this is where we officially part ways." He wrapped his arms around me and rested his chin on the top of my head. "You know, I've always wondered how different our relationship would've been if I had asked you to be my girlfriend first than Eiji." He wondered. "I guess now, I will never know."

"Wait…" I look at him, "you mean to say that…" I was interrupted by his kiss.

"Yeah…I never had the courage to say it to you." He said seriously. "But like always, I'm too late…anyways, just be careful and take good care of yourself." He said as he pointed at my nose and bopped it like he would always do. "Go on; head inside before your father gets very mad at you."

Once I arrived home, my father's assistant, Ms. Asami, took my bag and told me that my father is waiting for me in the living room. I remove my school shoes, put them away in a shoe closet by the house's entrance, and take out my house slippers. I walk down the long hallway and make a left turn to another hallway. At the end of this hallway is my father's meeting room. This is where he brings his executive guests from his company's HQ building for a more welcomed and easy going atmosphere.

I knock on the door hear him ask who it is. I reply by saying my name, and then he gives me confirmation to enter the room. There he was sitting across from a close friend of his from Gotham City: Bruce Wayne.

"Finally, you decide to show up." my father said in a serious tone. "I told you that we were going to have guests today."

"Gomenasai; we got caught up by our plans. It lasted longer than what we expected." I replied.

"Just let it slide, Nakamura. It  _is_  her last day with her friends, after all." Bruce spoke in my defense. "Wow, you sure have grown a lot since I've last seen you, Sofía." He gave me a gentle smile, like that of a father.

"Fine, I'll let it slide since it is your last day here in Japan." My father sighed. "Sofía, you already know my friend, Bruce Wayne. He'll be the one looking after you while you're overseas."

"Nice to see you again, Mr. Wayne" I said.

"Nice to see you, too" he shook my hand.

"Hey, Bruce, I'm back!" I heard a boy say from behind me as he closed the door to the meeting room.

I turn around to see who it was. A boy, about 13 years old, with black hair combed to the back, and blue eyes had entered the room. He wore an ash-gray suit with a blue tie that fitted his body type. He was somewhere in between slim and fit, but you could tell that he practiced gymnastics by his posture and shoulder width.

"Sofía, this is my son, Richard." Bruce explained to me.

"Well, in adoptive terms, I am his son" Richard smiled. "Nice to meet ya!"

"It's a pleasure to meet Bruce Wayne's son." I said as I bowed slightly. "But with all due respect, I never knew that Bruce had a son."

"Well, you have met him before, but under different circumstances." Bruce said as he drank his cup of tea.

"Huh? I have?" I was surprised by Bruce's statement.

"Though a few years have passed, that boy right there is The Boy Wonder himself, Robin." He replied.

"Really, that's him?" I asked.

"Wow, way to keep the  _secret life_ …secret…" Richard said as he leaned on the door. "Now we have someone  _else_  to add to our Special Protection List; SPL for short."

"She won't need to be added to the SPL." Said Bruce.

"Wait a second…am I hearing correctly?" Richard asked confused. "Why not, it's protocol after all?"

"She doesn't need it. She can defend herself very well. For a matter of fact, she can also protect you better that you would protect yourself. She's definitely a skilled martial artist in both offense and defense. Weaponry, strategy, infiltration, hand-to-hand combat, and the list goes on and on." Bruce replied. "That girl, right there, is Akane, the Crimson Ninja's protégé. She's truly a talented young lady, Nakamura."

Richard's eyes widened as he stood up straight and walked towards me. He then began to analyze me. "What?! There's no way that she can be the new recruit! She looks so…different…"

"Mr. Wayne, if you don't mind me asking, how do you know all of that?" I asked.

"Your father and I are very good friends. We've fought side-by-side together. Him: as the Crimson Ninja; and me: as the Batman." He said calmly. "In time, you'll get used to it. I mean, you've never met us as  _who_  we are, just as our hero portrayals. But with this revelation, I would like to make it easier between all of us once we get to Gotham City and reveal your duties as a new member to the Team. Once we arrive and you've settled down your stuff, we'll then teleport to the Team's base at Mt. Justice so you can familiarize yourself with the rest of them. Richard will personally introduce them to you once there. Although some of them you have already met. Unlike Richard, you'd be able to teleport back and forth from the base and the Wayne Manor."

"Lucky…" Richard said below his breath.

"Unlike you, who just finished school, Richard has to wait until June to be able to do the same." Bruce added. "He can only stay on weekends."

"Sophie, you'll be teleporting to Gotham at 9 p.m. sharp, which is just half an hour away from now. I already took your luggage to the company's HQ and teleported it to Gotham. We'll be heading soon to the HQ so that the three of you can teleport to the US using the Zeta-Beam. Have in mind that once you get to Gotham it will be 8 a.m. So, if you ever feel the need to go to sleep, do so before heading to Mt. Justice." My father said.

"Now that we've got this all settled up, let's get suited up and head to the HQ." Bruce said as he stood up and smiled at me.

 


	2. Introductions

**_Chapter 2: Introductions_ **

**_March 26, 20:55 JST_ **

**_Nakamura Tech Corp's basement_ **

"Here we are." My father said as he stepped out of the elevator and walked towards the Zeta-Beam while we followed behind him. "We've already sent your luggage to Gotham this morning, so you don't have to worry about taking it there. All you have to do is unpack your things once you get the time."

"Father…" I say before hugging him. "I know that we should not show any sort of affection when in uniform, but…I'm going to miss you…"

"I'll also be missing you greatly, Sophie." He hugged me tightly. "Call me whenever you want. I don't care if I have to interrupt a meeting to talk to you." He now pulled away but placed his hands on my shoulders. "Be good, and do not put your life at risk when you go out on missions. Got it?"

"Hm." I affirm him and bow my head.

With this said, Bruce look a bit distraught at us, but turned serious once he noticed that I was looking at him. "I don't want to sound insensitive, but we have to get going." Bruce added.

"Of course, sorry!" My father said as he walked to the Zeta-Beam's computer and typed in it. "The location's set. The three of you can proceed now."

With that said, Batman, Robin, and me stepped in the Zeta-Beam. Before you know it, a white flash surrounded us and teleported us to our location.

**_March 26, 09:00_ **

**_Gotham City_ **

**_Wayne Manor_ **

"Recognize. Robin. B-0-1. Akane. B-0-9. Batman. 0-2" said the Zeta-Beam as we stepped out from out it.

"Welcome home, Master Wayne, and Master Richard." Said and old butler. "Oh! This must be Ms. Sofía L. Nakamura. It's a pleasure to meet you Miss Nakamura." He greeted me with a smile as he bowed. "I'm Alfred, the Wayne family's butler."

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Alfred," I returned the bow.

"Akane, if there is anything you need, you can let Alfred know about it. He's practically in charge of the whole Manor." Robin giggled. "So when are we heading to Mt. Justice? I can't wait for her to meet the rest of the Team!"

"Soon." Batman replied. "There's some information that I need to get from my computer first. After that, we'll head to Mt. Justice." He added as he went to take a seat at his computer.

"Ooh! What kind of information?" Robin followed behind him.

"Robin, how about you take Akane up to the Manor and show her where her room is." Bruce said to him.

"…fine…" Robin said a bit disappointed. "C'mon, Akane. Follow me this way." He said as he walked towards the elevator.

I followed behind him and got inside of the elevator. He pushed a button, and now we were on our way up. After a couple of seconds, the elevator had stopped and opened its doors, revealing a hallway.

"This elevator leads to different parts of the Manor." He said as we both stepped out of it. "Your room, as well as mine, is located on the second floor of the Manor." He added as we stopped in front of a huge pair of doors. "This here is your room. Your entire luggage is inside. Over there is my bedroom just in case you need anything during the night."

"Can we head inside?" I ask him.

"Wait…inside of my room?" He asked confused.

"Oh, no, no, no! I meant inside of mine!" I blushed. "Gomen ne!" I bowed repeatedly.

"Of course you can!" He laughed. "I you want, I can help putting away your things." He smiled. "Just let me know if you find a luggage with intimate clothing so that I can look away." He chuckled.

"Ha, ha, ha! Don't worry, I will." I laughed.

He now turns the knob and pushes the door open. The room is huge. It's bigger than my room back in Japan. In the middle of the room you could see my entire luggage laying there. We walked towards it and began opening them. As we did, we would take out the things in it and store them away in various furniture. As we stored them, we talked about what had happened to our lives since we've last seen each other. We were best friends before, along with Kid Flash, Aqualad, and Speedy. He also told me about what happened between Speedy and Green Arrow, and how he now goes by Red Arrow.

"You know, I've never realized how much I missed you up until now. Don't get me wrong, I've always missed you…but now that I'm here talking with you…I've come to realize it in a much deeper approach." He said.

I stop what I'm doing and look at him. "The same goes for me; I've missed our crazy conversations. We would never stop talking to each other." I smiled.

"I remember that it made Speedy, I mean, Read Arrow jealous." He laughed. "He used to have a huge crush on you. Remember?"

I giggle and continue what I was doing. "I remember pretty well…"

"Wait." He paused. "Was there something  _else_  between the both of you?" He wondered.

"He was my first kiss." I reply. "Well…more like he stole my first kiss." I added.

"Whaaaaat!?" He said in shock. "That sly bastard…" He kept to himself. "So, what happened after that?" He asked.

"Nothing happened." I reply. "Well, my face turned red from blushing and got tingly sensations, but other than that, nothing happened."

"Hmm, I see." He continued to put away stuff.

By the time we had finished storing them away, Batman called Robin through their communicator and told us to head back down to the Bat Cave. We did as he told us. We left the room and hopped onto the elevator. Once we arrived at the Bat Cave, we see Batman type in the Zeta-Beam's computer. He tells us to hurry up and get inside of the Zeta-Beam.

**_March 26, 10:00_ **

**_Mt. Justice_ **

"Recognize. Akane. B-0-9. Robin. B-0-1. Batman. 0-2." The Zeta-Beam said as we walked out of it.

"They're here!" I heard a girl say from afar.

Out of nowhere a yellow flash appeared before us. "Akane, remember me?" Kid Flash said.

"Yes, I do." I smile at him.

"Hi, nice to meet you! My name's M'gann, but you can call me Megan!" A green redhead flew towards me, smiling and hugged me. "Hello, Megan! I almost forgot! Here, I baked these especially for you!" she handed me a cute little bag filled with chocolate chip cookies.

"Hey, I'm Artemis." A blond girl dressed in a green uniform smiled at me. "I'm Green Arrow's new protégé."

"Nice to meet both of you." I smile at them.

"Hey…" I heard guy say as he got close to me. "I'm Superboy." He said as he crossed his arms, a bit shy.

"Nice to meet you, Superboy." I smile at him and bow, as he lightens up.

"It's good to see you again, old friend!" said Aqualad as he slightly bowed.

"Kaldur'ahm." I bowed and smiled at my old friend.

"Nice to meet the Team's new member." I could hear a robotic voice get close to us. "I am Red Tornado. I am the Team's den mother here at Mt. Justice."

"These are your new teammates, Akane." Batman said as he placed his hand on my shoulder. "Get along with them and build up their trust. Teamwork is essential for future missions."

"Recognize. Black Canary. 1-3. Red Arrow. B-0-6."

"Sorry, I'm late guys! One of my patients had a serious meltdown…" We heard Black Canary say behind us. "Ah, there she is! The Crimson Ninja's protégé and daughter; later I will test you to see how  _well_  he has trained you." She gave me a playful smirk as she patted my back. "Just letting you know, I won't hold back. The Crimson Ninja has a great martial arts background, so I wouldn't expect less from you, kid." She added.

"Akane, this is Black Canary. She's the Team's hand-to-hand combat instructor." Batman said. "The one next to her is Red Arrow; formerly known as Speedy." He added. "You two have met before."

"Umm…hi, there!" Red Arrow said nervously. "It's been a long time…since we've last met…" He added as he ruffled the back of his head.

Batman raised a brow, questioning Red Arrow's odd behavior. "Anyways, Black Canary…whenever you're ready, you can proceed to test Akane."

"Wait, you never told me that I was being tested today?" I ask Batman.

"I didn't want you to be nervous." Batman replied.

I squint my eyes at him as Black Canary pulls me to their training center overfilled with joy as the rest followed behind.

"C'mon! Show me what you've got!" she said as left me at one end of the arena while she stood on the other side. "Remember, I won't be holding back." She said as she removed her jacket.

"This happened way sooner than I thought." Bruce said to himself as Robin chuckled.

We both bow as a sign of respect. I ready my fighting stance as she does the same, and before I knew it, she came running at me and tried to land a kick. I managed to block it followed it by a hook kick to her head level, but to no surprise she managed to block it. I then lower my leg and through a couple of straight jabs at her, making her dodge them, as I followed it by a front kick and pushed her away from me.

"Not bad, kid." She smiled. "How about we step it up a notch?" she said as she ran back towards me again, but this time she began throwing jab and kick combos.

I've managed to block all of her combos. For some reason it reminds me of the times that I would train with my father. The rush of adrenaline through my veins, the unlimited possibilities of combo creations, the love and passion for martial arts…This is what my father planted within me. His passion for martial arts…he passed it on to me. With this in thought, I manage to push her away from me, but this time I charge straight to her as I practically make her dance around the arena dodging jab and kick combos. That was when an opening showed up.

She let her guard down for a millisecond, and with this I slide behind her and pushed her forward, farther away from me, almost making her trip. While she tried to recover her balance, I charge at her from behind, jump in the air and get ready to land an ax kick in the air above her. By the time that she recovered her balance, she felt my presence above her and raised her forearms to cover the top of her head. By the time she covered herself I planted the axe kick on her forearms, taking her down to her knees. I impulse myself and do a backwards flip, and land doing Korean koa seogi (twist stance) with my fists in front of my body, as she gets up and turns around to face me.

She places her hands on her hips and gives me a playful smirk. "I didn't expect less from you. The Crimson Ninja has trained you very well, Akane." She smiled. "Has he taught you how to use his family's Inner Gates tradition?"

"No, he has not. He says that I'm still too young to manipulate such power." I reply.

"Ahem!" We heard Batman interrupt our conversation, as if he were signaling Black Canary about something.

"Oh, right…" her smile faded as she had suddenly remembered something.

"Woah!" Kid Flash exclaimed as he poked Robin with his elbow. "Dude, she's way better than you." He grinned.

"Well, I can get to her level!" He returned the elbow poke at Kid Flash. "I just need to train with her…" he chuckled.

"Now that the sparring session is over, I recommend that you get familiar with the Team, while Black Canary, Red Tornado, and I discuss some things at the Waterfall room." He told me as he signaled Black Canary and Red Tornado to follow him and left.

"Hey, Akane! What's your real name?" M'gann said as she approached me.

"That is meant to be kept secret." I reply.

"But everyone here knows who each other are." She continued.

"Well, there's not much to our identities between us, especially with Megan and Connor." Kid Flash laughed. "I guess Kaldur'ahm also falls into this category…" he wondered.

"Connor?" I asked confused.

"That's Superboy's name: Connor Kent." Kid Flash added.

"Hey…again…" Superboy smiled.

"So, is this a norm just between all of you?" I asked Robin.

"Yeah, pretty much." He smiled at me. "They know that my name's Richard and they've seen me out of uniform."

"In my case…" Artemis interrupted. "My name's basically the same as my alias." She added as she removed her mask.

"And I am the amazing Wally West, my dear!" Kid Flash rushed up next to me with his mask already removed.

"Yo, Red Arrow! Show her who you are!" Wally ordered him.

"I don't need to." He replied a bit bothered by Wally's order. "She knows who I am."

"Ooh!" Robin laughed before disappearing into darkness.

"Hold on!" Wally said confused. "I know that you two met before, but…she's already  _seen_  you without your mask?!"

"Yeah…" he closed his eyes to avoid eye contact with Wally.

"When did THAT happen?!" he kept asking.

"It's none of your business, ginger!" He growled as he turned around.

"But I haven't seen how you look like now." I giggled softly, mostly meant to taunt him.

Roy became tense as he heard me speak. "Just imagine my old face…just more chiseled and adult-like!" He said nervously while everybody burst in laughter at his description.

"Chiseled and adult-like?!" Wally burst laughing. "You're one of a kind, Roy!" he kept laughing as he whipped a tear from his eye.

"Friend, I am sorry for laughing." Kaldur'ahm said as he chuckled.

"Ugh, forget all of you. I'm out." He said as he grabbed my wrist and took me somewhere else.

"Wait!" Wally yelled.

"We still don't know who she really is!" Megan added.

Superboy looks around the mission room before scratching his head. "Hey, guys…where's Robin?"

Roy took me down a hallway before entering one of the rooms. This was not a room, but a library…with two levels filled with dozens of books. Who knows how many secrets are hidden within these books, even secrets hidden from mankind's governments…Roy then pulls my arm and shoves me against a table. You could tell by his face expression that there was a flood of emotions going on through his head. He turns around and starts to walk in a circle, unsure of what to do now.

I kept looking at him confused; not sure of what he was about to do next. He stopped and let a profound sigh leave his body as he crossed his arms. He then walks towards me. Unsure of what to do, I panicked a bit and began to walk backwards before immediately stumbling with the table behind me.

"Whoah!" He said as he grabbed me. "You should be more careful, Sofía."

"Sorry, I just panicked a bit and…" I said before he interrupted me with a kiss.

"Better?" He smirked.

"I'm even more confused now…" I blush.

He laughs quietly as he removes his mask, and then proceeds to remove my head protector.

"You've changed a lot during these past years." He told me. "And you still don't look Asian." He smirked.

"I guess I look more like my mother." I reply.

"I guess that the only thing you can attribute to your father is your jet black hair." He laughed as he swiped my bangs to the side. "So, how have you been?"

**_Mt. Justice, Waterfall Room_ **

**_March 26, 11:00_ **

**_Batman's P.O.V._ **

"I'm sorry about before, Batman. I didn't mean to jeopardize anything." Black Canary said a bit worried.

"Don't worry about that, Black Canary. Just make sure you don't bring anything up about her true linage." I assure her. "Nakamura told me that her nightmares have been occurring with more frequency."

"How so?" Red Tornado asked.

"Everyday…" I sigh.

"This is bad." Black Canary said. "The same thing used to happen to her-"

"I know…" I reassured her in a serious tone. "That's why she can't know about  _who_  she really is."

"Bruce, I know that everything that you and Akira Nakamura have done is to protect her." She said. "But you can't keep lying to her; she's bound to find out sooner or later. It'd be better if you and Nakamura tell her about everything, rather than her finding it out the other way around."

"I appreciate your advice, Dinah…But for now, she doesn't need to know." I replied. "We've managed to keep her secret for 15 years, and it's worked very well up until now. There's no need in telling her anything." You could hear my voice crack a bit.

"Bruce, I get that you're trying to protect her from falling into the wrong hands, but you need to accept what happened in the past to be able to  _really_  protect her." Black Canary said. "You need to stop blaming yourself for her mother's death. There was nothing that could've been done to save her."

"I promised her, that I would protect Sofía no matter the cost." I cringed my fists.

"Woah!" We heard Robin's voice come from above as he fell on top of the coffee table in front of us. I glare at him as I stand up from my chair and cross my arms. You could tell how much pain he was in from the fall's impact and the strength from the coffee table. After squirming around, he tried to sit up on the coffee table and smiled nervously, as if thinking that I would let this infiltration (a bad infiltration, may I add) sly.

"What's this coffee table made out off? It didn't even move a bit…" Robin asked.

"It's made from very strong materials that not even Superman can scratch." Red Tornado replied.

"Where do you even  _get_  those kinds of materials?" He wondered.

"Now's not the time to talk about such things." I pick help him get off from the coffee table. "How much of our conversation did you hear, Richard?"

"Everything up until I fell…" his voice cracked.

"I bet he won't do this again, Bruce!" Dinah interrupted. "I've studied Richard's behavior, along with the rest of the Team, and just like his mentor, he won't let things happen twice. Isn't that right, Richard?"

Dick shook his head up and down as je looked at Dinah like if she were his savior.

"See?" She assured me. "Especially after a failed infiltration like this, that most certainly will forever be scarred into his memory." She added.

"I hate psychologists…" Richard said below his breath.

"Fine, I'll let you off with a warning, but under  _one_  condition…" I tell him.

"Yes, anything!" He begged.

"Don't tell  _anybody_ , especially Sofía, know about what we were talking about." I tell him.

"Okay, but you at least…let me know about everything now?" he asked.

I look at him dead in the eyes, but end up sighing at his request. There's nothing left to hide from him, might us well have someone who'll be 24/7 with Sofía know about what's going on. "Fine, but consider this a priority mission…"

 


	3. Anew Beginning

**Chapter 3: Anew Beginning**

**_Mt. Justice, Library_ **

**_March 26, 11:00_ **

"I guess that the only thing you can attribute to your father is your jet black hair." Roy laughed as he swiped my bangs to the side. "So, how have you been?"

"I've been good." I reply as I step to the side trying to get away from him. "I've been on tons of missions with my father. I've also helped him save Japan a couple of times."

"I've heard." He said. "It was everywhere." He smiled.

"How about you, Roy?" I asked him.

"I've also been good." He replied. "I finally got my way to prove to them that I'm no longer a sidekick."

"Richard told me about that." I say.

"Anyways…changing the subject." He said as he sat on the table. "Do you still remember that summer day, before you left for Japan?"

"After the events in Star City, right?"

"Yes…" he paused. "Do you still feel the same way?" he asked a bit nervously.

I sit next to him on the table and place my hands over my skirt. "It's…been a long time, Roy." I say as I lowered my head. "Love has crossed paths with me twice in Japan. But only once, it became my path."

He leaned back on his arms and let out a sigh of disappointment. "I guess we're not on the same boat like before…"

I look at him and give him a gentle smile, not knowing what to answer him. I don't want to hurt his feelings over something that was, but now isn't.

"Ugh, I feel stupid now!" He growled as he now lay completely over the table. "Anyways, we should get back to the others before they start spreading rumors of us." He said as he curled up and impulse himself from the table.

"Right." I say as I stood up from the table and walked out of the library with him.

As we opened the door, we saw the rest of the Team standing outside with eyes wide opened. Their faces immediately changed to fear when they saw Roy stand behind me with his arms crossed. I turn to look at him, and there was no once of doubt in any of us that he was pissed. Roy took a deep breath, and as he was about to talk, we heard Batman's voice call for us over to the mission room over the sound system.

We all rushed to the mission and find Batman, Robin, Red Tornado, and Black Canary standing in the center. Robin looked as if his mind was clouded in thoughts. Batman then called out for me and told me to say goodbye to the Team until our next reunion.

After saying our farewells, Batman, Robin, and I head to where we first arrived at the base. We step inside of the Zeta-Beam and head back to Gotham.

**_Gotham City_ **

**_Wayne Manor_ **

**_April 10, 04:00_ **

"Sofía, wake up!" I heard Bruce yell from a far.

"Soph, please! Wake up!" I could hear Richard as he cried.

I wake up gasping for air at the sound of their voices as launched to sit up straight on my bed. Richard immediately jumped to hug me as he kept weeping.

"You're finally awake, Soph!" he hugged me tighter. "Bruce, this is not normal! You have to take her to the hospital. Today draws the line!" he argued.

"There's not much that they can do for her, Richard." Bruce said almost teared up.

"W-What's wrong?" I asked. "I know I had a nightmare, but it's nothing to worry about." I assured them.

"Your room's medical sensors went crazy, Sophie!" Richard kept crying. "At first I thought it was Alfred's, until I saw that it showed your room's location."

"You almost died in the R.E.M. stage of your dream. Your body wasn't responding to the drop in your pulse." Bruce added.

"Really?" I asked alarmed. "That's never happened to me before."

"Do you remember anything that happened within your dream?" Bruce asked.

I stare at Bruce for a while before I hug Richard and lean my head on his shoulder. "I saw your parents Bruce. Their bodies lay coldly on a dark alley's ground. But they muttered your name, even though they were dead. They kept saying  _Bruce, give her back._ And that's when you showed up. You…" I breathe in and out. "You were possessed…you tried to kill me."

"My parents?" Bruce asked.

"Martha and Thomas Wayne…" I add as I looked up to him.

"What?! How do you…" he asked in shock. "I could never do such a thing, Sofía!" he sighs heavily. "It was…just a dream, okay? What's important is that you didn't stay asleep." He smiled as he pat my head. "Richard, stay with her here. Watch her just in case it happens again."

"I will." Richard replied as he backed away and began to prepare a nest of pillows next to my bed.

"Sir," We heard Alfred say as he entered the room with a phone in hand. "You have a very important call."

Bruce then proceeded to take the phone from Alfred and left my room with him.

**_Meanwhile…_ **

"Hello?" Bruce said as he answered the phone call.

"Bruce, it's Nakamura…the seal…it's been breached." Akira said with a serious tone.

"I know…she almost died." Bruce assures him.

"I sensed it…" you could hear the grief in Akira's voice. "Bruce, it's time for Plan B. You need to get in contact with Nabu before it's too late."

"I'll contact him as soon as possible through Zatara. In the meantime, try holding the seal together." Bruce replies.

"That, I do." Akira affirms.

"Thanks for everything, Nakamura."

"Don't worry about it. You know that I'd do anything for her." Said Akira. "Take care, Bruce."

"You too." Bruce replies before hanging up.

**_Wayne Manor_ **

**_April 10, 16:00_ **

I sat quietly in Bruce's home office, as he kept doing his paperwork. I can't help but to feel awkward around him after what I told him early this morning about my dream. I've practically spent the entire day in here, helping around by filing papers and organizing his file while Dick was at school. Suddenly, we hear a knock on the door. "Master Wayne, you've got special visitors." Alfred said from the other side of the door as he opened it. A middle aged man with black hair and green eyes had entered Bruce's office. Bruce welcomed him with a smile from his desk.

"So, this must be the young Sofía Nakamura that I've heard about!" The man said with a bit of Italian accent.

"You are correct, Giovanni." Bruce said as he looked at me.

The man then approached me and grabbed my hand. "Nice to meet you Miss Sofía Nakamura." He shook my hand as he smiled at me. "Won, og otni a peed peels."

As he said those words everything began to blur into darkness as I heard someone else enter the room…

"Sofía, can you hear me?" I heard Bruce say from far away.

I open my eyes as everything begins to fade into color. My head hurts a bit as my vision adjusts to the dim lighting in the room. I notice that I'm not in Bruce's office anymore, but in my bedroom. I sit up on my bed, and notice that Richard is sound asleep by my feet. I look next to me, and notice Bruce standing next to me.

"Weren't we just at your office?" I asked confused.

"We were." He replied.

I look at the windows and notice that it was dark outside. "What time is it?" I ask Bruce.

"It's about eleven something." He replied.

"What?" I asked in shock. "Who was that man, and what did he do to me?"

"He's a friend of mine." He answered. "Anyways, I came to check up on you since Richard wasn't answering his communicator." He said as he covered Richard with a blanket. "See you tomorrow." He smiled as he left my room.

"But…what did he do?" I say to myself as Richard slightly opens his eyes.

"S-Sophie?" he wonders, still a bit sleepy. "You're finally awake." He yawns.

He then gets up, struggling with his sleep and crawls to me. Now meeting face-to-face with me, a gentle smile covers his face as he stretched his arms to hug me pushing backwards, laying on my bed.

"Everything's going to be okay from now on, Sophie. You're going to be okay…" He says as he dozes back to sleep.

I gently push him off of me, and lay him next to me. He must've been watching over me ever since he arrived back from the academy. I then grab the blanket that Bruce brought in, and cover Richard again with it. I get off from my bed and bring a chair next to the bed. I sit on it and just observe Richard as he sleeps. He looks so peaceful, yet tired. I couldn't help but smile. It's been 3 years since we've last seen each other, yet he treats me like he's known me practically my whole life…and I can't help but feel the same way towards him.

**_Wayne Manor_ **

**_April 11, 7:30_ **

"Sophie!" I heard Richard's voice call out my name. "Wake up! How're you feeling?"

As I open my eyes, I'm met face-to-face with Richard. I get startled by how close he is to me and almost fall back on the chair. He grabs me by my arm and pulls me towards him.

"You need to be more whelmed." He says

"Sorry, but you caught me off guard there!" I tell him.

"I guess that being that close to you wasn't a good idea." He jokes "Anyways, I just wanted to make sure that you slept well before I leave to school."

"Thanks, I did sleep well."

"Even on that chair?" he asked.

"Yeah…"

"Doesn't sound like you did." He laughs.

"Well…it would've been awkward if I slept next to you…" I blushed as I faced the other way.

"Oh, right!" He blushed. "Well…umm…I'll see you after I get back from the academy. Maybe, we can head to movies or something." He smiled.

"Sure." I smile back at him.

"Good!" He cheers. "I'll let Alfred know on my way to the academy." He added as he lets go of me and marches off out of my room.

I stare blankly at the door as I try to process his happiness. Casually, Bruce stops by and stares at me a bit confused.

"Richard left very happy to school." He said. "He said that you two will be heading this afternoon to the movies."

"Yes." I affirm him. "But it's not a date…is it?"

Bruce chuckles as he looks at me. "I don't know what he's thinking, but he has spent a lot of time studying. As, well as watching over you." He added. "Maybe this is a form of stress relief for him."

I sigh in relief at Bruce's words. "Good, he's too young to be asking girls out on dates; especially those who're older than him." I say as I cross my arms.

Bruce chuckles. "I guess you slept well last night."

"Yes." I smile at him. "You never told me who that guy was."

"He's a good friend of mine's." He replied. "There's no need to doubt him. He's also in the Justice League."

"What did he do to me?" I ask. "He said something to me, but I didn't understand him."

"Hmm?" He looked at me. "I think that you're imagining things." He assured me. "He went to introduce himself to you, but then you fainted. Your body was still unstable from the other night's episode."

I look at him as I try to make sense of what happened that day.

"There's no reason to worry now." He says to me. "The important thing is that you're feeling better." He smiled. "Oh, before I forget. Get ready before 11. You'll be going to visit Gotham Academy to take their entrance exam. I've already sent them your application form last week."

"Okay."

"You should also take your martial arts uniform with you, they'll also be testing you in that."

I let out a sigh and cross my arms. "Like I had anything else to do today."

"So, you want to keep filing my papers?" Bruce joked.

"If you need me, I'll be practicing my combos for the meantime." I rushed back into my room.

**_Gotham Academy, Gymnasium_ **

**_April 11, 12:00_ **

After finishing the entrance exam at one of their testing centers, one of the admission's personnel told me to suit up in my martial arts uniform and led us straight to the academy's gymnasium. As we entered, you could see students playing basketball or practicing other sports. It's not surprising to find the gymnasium full of students doing what they love. The building was divided into different sections. They had a basketball court, next to it a wrestling arena where they had mats laid down for me and to whoever was going to be my opponent. Farther away from the wrestling arena, they had a full gymnastics course.

As she kept leading us through the gymnasium towards the wrestling arena, I kept getting stares from some of the students. By the time that we got to the wrestling arena, there were about a total of 27 students dressed in martial arts uniform. Some of them had welcoming smiles on their faces, others…not so welcoming…

"Sofía, this is the Gotham Academy's Martial Arts Team. GAMAT, for short." The admissions' lady said. "This young boy over here, Matt Johnson, is a junior here at Gotham Academy and GAMAT's president." She acquainted me to him.

"Nice to meet you, Sofía!" Matt smiled at me as he bowed at me.

"Nice to meet you as well, Matt Johnson." I bowed to him.

"Sophie!" I heard a familiar voice call out to me from far away.

As I look in the direction from where the voice came from I see Richard running towards me followed by a couple of flips until he lands in the center of the mats.

"You never told me that you were coming over to Gotham Academy…neither did Bruce for a matter of fact." He said with a huge smile on his face as he walked towards me.

"Neither did  _he_  tell me." I reply.

"Hey, Grayson!" Matt said a bit mad. "How many times do I have to tell you to show your respects to the arena before entering it?!"

"I did…before landing on it." Richard smirked.

"I can't believe that you know this disrespectful twat…"

"Hey!" both Richard and I shouted.

"Anyways…" Matt says ignoring us as he takes out paper. "It says here that you're a black belt in seven forms of martial arts. Is that so?"

"Correct." I say. "Taekwondo, Karate, Judo, Hapkido, Kendo, Ninjutsu, and Kung Fu. Aside from that, I also specialize in the Israelite self-defense system of Krav Maga."

"Woah…" Matt is left speechless.

"I…was also the president of my former school's martial arts team…"

"What school did you to?" Matt asked.

"Dr. Saitou Fujioka Academy in Japan." I reply.

"Then I guess that you must be as good this application says you are." He gives me a devious smile. "Truly the ideal girl for combat tournaments…"

"I've fought with her before, she's way better than you." Richard chuckled.

"Will you  _please_  get back to practicing your girly flips at the gymnastics section?!" Matt growled at Richard.

"I would, but I really want to see her beat your ass." Richard smirked.

"Richard, watch the foul language." Bruce said.

"Sorry." He replied.

"Well, there's only one way to find out…" Matt said as he tightened his belt. "Tina, there's no need for you to fight with her. I'll take her on."

"Damn it, Richard…" I pierce my eyes into him.

"Sofía…" I heard Bruce scolding me.

"Sorry, Bruce." I say.

"Here at GAMAT, we only practice three martial arts: Karate, Taekwondo, and Judo. Right now, each martial art has about 9 students, all who have black belts in the corresponding martial art. I'm the only one in our organization with black belts in each of the martial arts mentioned." Matt said. "You get to choose if we spar with using all three martial arts in one match, or three rounds with each round consisting of one martial art."

"Let's do all three at once." I say.

"With or without protective gear?" Matt asked.

"Just our mouth guard piece…" I reply as I take out my mouth guard and pop it my mouth.

"I'm liking you already, Sofía!" He smirks.

"You should watch out, he's smooth with girls…" Richard whispered in my ear.

"In this match the winner will be the one who's still standing inside of the arena. The point of this match is to get the opponent out of the tatami. Simple, right? Matt added.

With those words I nod as we each stood in front of each other. Matt called out to four other students to stand guard at each side of the tatami. We bow down at the same time to show respect, and then we get into our fighting positions. One of the four students yells to start the match, as he does, Matt doesn't hesitate to start throwing kicks at me. I dodge them all on time as I try to land combos on him, but he manages to block them all.

He later finds an opening in between my combos and manages to grab a hold-on to my uniform. Taking notice into this, I grab his as well and try to pull him down and use my forearms to break his grip on my uniform, but I can't. He's very strong, there's no denying it. As I notice that now he tries to reach out to belt, I take a hold of the hand that's already grabbing my uniform and face my back towards his torso. Here, I try to get as close to him as possible and use my hips to leverage him on my back and throw him over myself. But to now effort, I couldn't manage to break his grip on me.

As he still holds on to my uniform, he takes me down with him. I fall over him, but he immediately grabs me and lays me on the floor with him on top of me as he now grabs the inner sides of my uniform's edges, as I try to stop him from doing a chokehold.

"You look kind of cute when you're struggling like that." He smirks at me.

Seeing as this is effortless when it comes to him, I use my forearms to push down on his arms until I managed to let break his left arm's hold on my uniform.

"Looks like you're not a lefty." I smirk at him as I immediately cross my arms and grab the inner sides of his uniform. With this I plant my feet on the ground and use my hips to through him off to my right.

"Match over!" I heard one of the four students yell.

As I take a deep sigh of relief, I decide to sit up straight on the tatami and look to my right. I see Matt sit up outside of the tatami.

"That was a great match, Sofía!" He smiled at me as he handed out his hand.

I smile and nod at him, as I take his hand and we both help each other stand up. Now standing, the both of us get to the center of the arena, shake hands and bow down at each other. With this, Matt grabs my hand and faces us towards the rest of the team. He lifts my arm up and declares me as GATMA's future member.

"Told you she was better than you!" I heard Richard yell out at Matt.

"Oh shut up, Grayson!" Matt yelled back at him.

 


End file.
